Action Item: With federal courts moving toward limiting arranger liability under CERCLA, companies that sell new or used products containing hazardous substances should heed the guidance of those courts and take certain...more

Not a moment too soon, the European Chemicals Agency (ECHA) released a useful and clearly written Practical Guide on Biocidal Products Regulation, ECHA-14-B-19-EN. ECHA is the European Union (EU) agency tasked with...more

On January 21, 2015, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) issued a proposed amendment to a significant new use rule (SNUR) for long-chain perfluoroalkyl carboxylate (LCPFAC) chemicals. According to EPA's January 15,...more

Following Governor Jerry Brown’s call in mid-2013 for reform of Proposition 65, the California Office of Environmental Health Hazard Assessment (OEHHA), the state agency that writes the regulations governing Proposition 65,...more

What is the “Naturally Occurring” Defense? -
One of the few defenses available to a company under Proposition 65 is the “Naturally Occurring” exemption for “food.” (CA Code of Regulations, Title 27, § 25501). Food...more

In China, there are an overwhelming number of measures to govern almost all aspects of the process of manufacturing a product, bringing that product to market, and maintaining that product’s integrity and competitiveness in...more

In a rare bipartisan gesture, on December 11, 2014, the House of Representatives unanimously passed H.R. 4007, the “Protecting and Securing Chemicals Facilities from Terrorist Attacks Act of 2014” (“Act”), which the Senate...more

The U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy (EERE) issued an announcement for its Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) and Small Business Technology Transfer (STTR) programs,...more

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) announced on October 23, 2014, that it has updated its Toxic Substances Control Act (TSCA) Work Plan for Chemical Assessments. According to EPA, the updated TSCA Work Plan...more

Recently, the Massachusetts Clean Energy Center (MassCEC) has opened up two top-rate funding opportunities for young, emerging clean energy companies in Massachusetts. Aimed primarily at university researchers and early-stage...more

As part of its Safer Consumer Products Regulation (SCPR) under California’s Green Chemistry Initiative, the Department of Toxic Substances Control (DTSC) on September 13, 2014 issued its Draft Priority Product Three-Year Work...more

The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has withdrawn its long-delayed proposal to regulate nanotechnology under the Toxic Substances Control Act (TSCA) and submitted a new alternative proposed rule for consideration and...more

With the 2014 holiday season fast approaching, businesses should not lose sight of what the Proposition 65 “bounty hunter” plaintiffs’ lawyers are eagerly awaiting. And that’s the opportunity to send out 60-Day Notice letters...more

California is steadily implementing its landmark Green Chemistry Initiative, which increases regulation and oversight of consumer product chemical exposures in important ways. In a recently published Work Plan on the...more

With the draft initial Priority Product Work Plan now released, it is important for manufacturers, importers, and retailers of consumer products in the categories listed by DTSC in the Work Plan to understand and address any...more

The chemical wars are in full swing. And for consumer products and chemicals manufacturers, victory on the regulatory front is by no means a foregone conclusion.
Progressive legislators in states such as California,...more

California’s toxics agency, the Department of Toxic Substances Control (DTSC), has released a draft three-year work plan identifying seven consumer product categories that may be the focus of the state’s Green Chemistry...more

In most Australian states, businesses involved with hazardous chemicals must comply with the Globally Harmonised System of Classification and Labelling of Chemicals (GHS) from 31 December 2016. 'Businesses' include...more

The European Chemicals Agency (ECHA) recently released 25 decisions on data sharing disputes under the Registration, Evaluation, Authorization and Restriction of Chemicals (REACH) program and two decisions on data sharing...more

On July 24, 2014, the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) posted a report entitled Nanotechnology and Tyres: Greening Industry and Transport, which provides a risk management framework to enable...more

The European Commission (EC) has posted materials from its June 30, 2014, validation workshop to discuss the preliminary results of the study supporting the impact assessment on transparency measures for nanomaterials. The EC...more

It has recently been reported that China is in discussions with the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) to become a provisional adherent to the Mutual Acceptance of Data (MAD) system. This would...more

NICNAS Will Hold Training And Outreach Sessions: The National Industrial Chemicals Notification and Assessment Scheme (NICNAS) will be conducting stakeholder training and awareness sessions in major capital cities and...more